Search -
Shakspeare's comedy of the Merchant of Venice
Shakspeare's comedy of the Merchant of Venice Author:William Shakespeare Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Methought you said 1, you neither lend nor borrow Upon advantage. Ant. I do never use it.2 Shy. When Jacob grazed his uncle Laban's sheep, This Jacob from... more » our holy Abraham 3 was (As his wise mother wrought in his behalf4) The third possessor; ay, he was the third.5 Ant. And what of him ? did he take interest ? Shy. No, not take interest; not, as you would say, Directly6 interest: mark what Jacob did. When Laban and himself were compromised7 That all the eanlingss which were streaked and pied, Should fall as Jacob's hire; charge no interest, and expects that the 'pound of flesh' will appear to Antonio a merely nominal substitute, kindly intended to let him off from the payment of interest. 1 Methought you said.] It seemed to me that you said; I understood you to say.—The word methinks, i. e. it thinks me, is from the Anglo-Saxon thincan to seem, and means it seems to me. 1 Use it.] Make a practice of it. 3 From our holy Abraham.] Was the third possessor, reckoning from Abraham as the first.—Shyloek wishes Jacob's sacred character to be kept in view, as that of a man to whom God assigned the blessings which were partly acquired by Jacob in the manner about to be mentioned. 4 Wrought in his behalf.] Alluding to the deception which Rebekah devised for securing the blessing to Jacob before Esau's return. Gen. xxvii. s Ay, he was the third.] He was the third of the sacred three who were specially distinguished by the terms of the covenant blessing. See Gen. xxviii. 13, 14. 6 Directly.] Exactly; in literal strictness of meaning. 7 Compromised. ] Mutually agreed. See Gen. xxx. 31. 3 Eanlings.] Lambs just brought forth ; from the Saxon eanian to bring forth lambs or kids. The forms yean and yeanling are corruptions.—Pied means spotted, variegated w...« less